Remembrances of a Fort Laramie Settler #599: John Hunton Papers

Published May 28, 2026 at 6:00 AM MDT

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Photograph of John Hunton. Box 15, John Hunton papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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U.S. War Department certificate of appointment for John Hunton as a Post Trader at Fort Laramie, August 28, 1888. Box 13, John Hunton papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Letter from the Commissioner of the General Land Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior to John Hunton, Custodian of Fort Laramie Abandoned Military Reservation, December 5, 1898. Box 13, John Hunton papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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“Excerpts from John Hunton’s Diary” compiled by L.G. Flannery, 1955. Box 2, John Hunton papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

If his diaries are any indication, John Hunton was a blunt and factual man. Hunton was born in Virginia and served with the Confederate Army in the Civil War. It was after the war that he traveled westward, eventually arriving at Fort Laramie.

At first, he worked as a clerk in the sutler’s store. Before long he had a government contract to provide Fort Laramie with wood, beef, and other commodities. Hunton’s diaries from 1875 until his death in 1928 offer a historical perspective.

He was the last post trader at old Fort Laramie. He was also a Laramie County Commissioner for fifteen years. It was a time when early settlers were proving up their homesteads. His diaries reflect the passing of the era of the stagecoach and the building of the railroads. They total more than fifty volumes and were saved for posterity by UW Professor Grace Raymond Hebard.

Students of Wyoming history will find that the John Hunton papers provide a fascinating glimpse back in time. Visit UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.